The T-34 entered service with the Red Army in 1940. It proved to be very successful initially against the early Panzers but later improvements had to be made and they saw a longer gun and new turret and then a larger 85mm gun.

The T-34 was fast and agile able reach over 30mph and wide tracks allowed it to keep moving even on difficult terrain.

The early model weighed 26 tons had a crew of four and was armed with 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns as well as the main gun.